Salvage wrecking tool



Jan. 29, 1957 H. L. KOHLER SALVAGE WRECKING TOOL 2 sneaks-sheet 1 FiledJune 12, 1953 FIG.

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|9x HARRY L. KOH LEF? IN VEN TOR.

Jan. 29, 1957 H. KOHLER SALVAGE WRECKING TOOL.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 12. 1953 FIG. 5

FIG.7

I8 or I80 FIG. 6

FIG. 9 l

FIG. IO

INV HAR RY L K NTOR.

HILEF? ATTORNEY,

SALVAGE WRECKING TOOL Harry 1.. Kohler, Beloit, Kane.

Application June 12, 1953, Serial No. 361,365

2 Claims. (Cl. 254- -131) My invention relates to an improvement insalvage wrecking tools. An object of my improved salvage wrecking toolis to provide a tool of the kind mentioned that may be used in wreckingwood buildings and may be more particularly used for taking up flooringboards, fioor sheeting boards, wall sheeting boards, roof sheeting orstripping boards and the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide tool of the kindmentioned that is strong, durable, light in weight, simple inconstruction, highly eficient in its work, one that can be easily andquickly compacted for storage or transportation as well as being a toolthat can be inexpensively manufactured and sold. These and other objectsof the invention will be more fully described and xplaincd as thisdescription progresses.

New referring to the accompanying drawings in which similar numerals ofreference designate the same parts throughout the several figures ofthedrawings:

Fig. 1 is a detail top plan view of the tool.

Fig. 2 is a detail side view of the tool.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail side view of one of the lifting arms andlifting foot, there being two of these lifting arms and feet that areduplicates of each other.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the members shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a combination sectional view through the tool and a side viewof the handle member of the tool, the view being as seen from the lineV-V in Fig. l and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional View through the lifting foot andits supporting arm, the view being as seen from the line VIVl in Fig. 3and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view through a portion of the tool, theview being as seen from the line Vll-Vll in Fig. 4 and looking in thedirection of the arrows.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the tool and showing the tool inposition for lifting a board in the wrecking operation.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail plan view of a lifting finger that may besubstituted for the lifting arms and feet shown inFigs. l, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7and 8.

Fig. 10 is a side view of the lifting finger shown in Fig. 9.

In the drawings the tool is shown as having a multisided, preferably ahexagonal shaped twist shaft 12 on which is slidably positioned a twistsleeve 13 that has an opening 14 therethrough that is the same shape asthe twist shaft 12 and is of such size that the twist shaft 12 may beslidably received therein. The twist sleeve is provided with a thumb setscrew 15 that is threaded through the wall of the twist sleeve 13 sothat the end of the set screw 15 will bear against the side of the twistbar 12 to bind and hold the twist sleeve 13 inselected adjustedpositions along the twist shaft 12. The twist sleeve 13 is provided witha pry lever 16, one end of which is rigidly attached to, or preferablymade integral with the twist sleeve 13. The other end of the ory leverUnited States Patent 0 16 is provided with laterally projecting handleelements 17 by which the tool may be actuated.

The tool is further provided with a pair of lifting arms 18 and 18a,each of which are identical and have identical associated parts. Thearms are preferably made in a curved shape as shown in Fig. 3 for thestrength that can be built into the arms 13 and 13a and also it iseasier to place the tool under the board 28 that is to be lifted. Oneend of each lifting arm 18 and 18a is rigid, preferably integral, withits respective twist sleeve 19 or 1%. Each of the lifting arms lid and18a, twist sleeve 19 or 19a is provided with an externally annularsleeve extension 2i) on which is revolvably mounted a roller sleeve 21.The roller sleeve 21 is held in place on the sleeve extensions 2% bymeans of a split spring ring 22 that is seated in an annular groove 23in the end of the sleeve extension portion Eli and projects therefromenough to engage the end of the roller sleeve 21 to retain the rollersleeve 21 on the sleeve extension 2%. Each twist sleeve has a thumbscrew 19:: threaded through the Wall thereof to engage and bear againstthe twist shaft 12 as a means of holding and locking the twist sleevesid and 19a in adjusted spaced apart positions on the twist shaft l2 forpurposes that will later he described.

On the outer end of each lifting arm l8 and 18a is carried a selfadjustable lifter foot 24. Each lifter foot M is provided with a pair ofdepending and spaced apart lip-like supporting elements 2-5 and 25a thatstraddle the outer end of their respective lifter arm 1% or Eda toprovide a. pivotal mounting of the lifter feet on the outer end of theirrespective lifting arms lid and lda. A pivotal mounting pin 26 passesthrough the lifter feet support lips 25 and Erica at a point in rear ofthe center of the lifter feet therefor the forward ends of the lifterfeet 2 are heavier than the rear ends and the lifter feet will thereforenormally tip forward to make easier the operation of moving the lifterfeet under the board 28 that is to be lifted. The forward ends of thelifter feet 34 may also be provided, if desired, with additional weightelements Z ta that will make more positive the tipping action of thelifter feet 24-.

The extreme outer end of each lifter arm 1% or the is provided with atop element 13x that is an integral part of its respective arm 13 or 13aand is adapted to be engaged by the under side of the lifter foot 24; tolimit the degree of forward tipping of the lifter foot 24.

The tool as above described works good in such places where the liftingarms 18 and 18a and their lifter feet 2 can be easily slipped under theboard that i to be removed as shown in Pig. 8, however in such a case asthe lifting or removal of flooring from the floor sheeting boards therewould be no space in which the lifter feet 24 could be entered betweenthe flooring boards and the sheeting boards, therefore I have providedlifter lip elements 2d such as shown in Figures 9 and 10 that can besubstituted for the lifting legs 13 and 13a and the lifter feet 24 aswill later be described.

in Figures 9 and 1-0 is shown a twist sleeve 192: which is made the sameas the twist sleeves l9 and 19a and are receivable and adjustable on thetwist shaft 12 the same as the twist sleeves l? and 19a. The tool isprovided with two of the twist sleeves 19x each of which are receivableand adjustable stationable on the twist shaft 12, the same as the twistsleeves l9 and 1%. Each twist sleeve lldx is provided with a thin liftleaf as, one end of which underlies the twist sleeve 19.xand is rigidlyattached, preferably welded, thereto.

Now to prepare the tool for use the twist sleeve 13 may he slipped ontoand to the central portion of the twist shaft 12 whereupon the thumbscrew 15 may be turned to set or look the twist sleeve l3 and handle inthereon in their adjusted position on the twist shaft 12.

This having been done the twist sleeves 19 and 19a may be slipped one oneach end of the twist shaft 12 to such a spaced apart position that theroller sleeves 21 will, when the tool is in use, rest on any twoadjacent joists 2'7 and 28a and the lifting arms 18 and lilo willproject under the sheeting board 28 that is to be lifted. The relativeangular position of the pry lever 16 and the lift ing arms 13 and 18amay be adjusted to the convenience of the user of the tool by selectingthe position in which the pieces 19 and 19a are placed on the twistshaft 112 at the time of assembling the tool.

The tool having been assembled as above described, is now ready for useand may be used by the user of the tool who may hold the tool by the prylever is in such a position that the roller sleeves 21 will rest on thejoists 27 and 2711 so as to support the tool, whereupon the tool may bemoved to a position that the lifting arms 18 and 18a and the liftingfeet 24 thereon are under the board 28 wherefore the pry lever 16 may berocked in a direction away from the sheeting board 28 at which time thelifting arms is and Ella and the lifting feet 24 thereon are forciblyrocked upwardly to lift the sheeting board and pull the nails from thejoists 27-27a that hold the sheeting board 23 thereon. This having beendone the board 28 may be moved and the tool moved to engage and lift thenext board 28a the same as the board 23 was removed,

In the case of removing flooring and due to the fact that the flooringlays flat against and is nailed to the floor sheeting ZS-ESQ it isimpossible to enter the lifting arms 18 and 18a and the feet 24 thereonbetween the flooring boards and the floor sheeting 28 and 28a, thereforethe twist sleeves and 19a may be removed from the twist shaft 12 andreplaced with the twist sleeves 19x on which is carried the lifting lipsor leaves 26. This change having been made, the ends of the lips orleaves 26 entered between the flooring boards 28-25% and the flooringboard that is nailed thereto and by the application of a little pressureapplied against the pry lever 16 and the twist sleeve 13 from the toe ofthe user of the tool the entire or major portion of the lips or leaves26 may he slipped beneath the flooring board whereupon a rearwardrocking movement of the pry lever in will cause the lips or leaves 26 torock upwardly and lift the flooring board from the sheeting boards 2828aand in so doing the nails that held the flooring board to the sheetingboards 28-23a will also be pulled and left comparatively straight foreasy removal from the floor board. This process of removing boards fromthe timbers to which they are nailed leaves the boards in a preservedand unbroken condition so that they may be easily cleaned of all nailsand the boards are left in a whole and undamaged condition so that theymay be again used and serve substantially as good a purpose as newlumber would.

When the tool is not in use the several parts thereof may bedisassembled and laid side by side to compact the tool for storage ortransportation purposes whereby the tool is easier to handle and takecare of.

Now while the tool as shown and described is probably the preferred formof the tool, it is to be understood that such modifications of the toolmay be employed as lie within the scope of the appended claims withoutdeparting from the spirit and intention of the invention. Now havingfully shown and described my invention what I claim is:

l. A salvage wrecking tool or" the kind described; said tool comprisinga multi-sided twist shaft, 9. pry lever and a plurality of liftingelements, said pry lever having a twist sleeve being rigidly attached toone end of the pry lever, the opening through said twist sleeve being ofsuch size and shape as to non-revolvably receive and fit said twistshaft, and means carried by the twist sleeve for locking the twistsleeve in selected positions along the twist shaft, each of said liftingelements having a twist sleeve rigidly carried on one end thereof, theopening in each of the last said twist sleeves being of such size andshape as to non-revolvably receive the said twist shaft, and meanscarried by each of the last said twist sleeves for stationing andholding the last said twist sleeves in selected longitudinally adjustedpositions on the twist shaft, the other end of each lifting elementhaving a litter foot thereon for engaging and lifting a board that is tobe removed from other elements to which the board may be fixed, each ofthe last said twist sleeves having an externally annular sleeveextension thereon, roller sleeves, one for and revolvably carried oneach extension sleeve, and means for retaining each roller sleeve on itsrespective twist sleeve extension.

2. A salvage wrecking tool of the kind described: said tool comprisingin combination, a multisided twist bar, a plurality of meansnon-revolvably and longitudinally slidably receivable on the twist bar,one of the said means having a handle element attached thereto forforcibly revolving the twist bar, the remainder of the above mentionedsaid means being receivable on the twist bar in like manner to thehandle carrying means, and lifting elements rigidly carried by the saidremainder means and being sl-idably receivable on the twist bar,rollers, one roller being revolvably carried on each of the saidremaining means, and means for holding the several elements receivableon the twist bar in selected relative adjustable positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS494,417 Cutting Mar. 28, 1893 857,077 Labreck June 18, 1907 929,828 BullAug. 3, 1909 1,375,751 Grannis Apr. 26, 1921 1,527,996 Piro Mar. 3, 19251,646,894 Basore Oct. 25, 1927 2,449,393 Krieg Sept. 14, 1948 2,520,427Nelson Aug. 29, 1950

